Wrexham were held at home against Cambridge United on Saturday after a late penalty for the visitors denied Phil Parkinson’s side all three points.
Ryan Reynolds was in attendance against Cambridge and would’ve been disappointed that his side couldn’t maintain their impeccable recent record at the Racecourse Ground.
Cambridge took a shock lead as Elias Kachunga slammed home after 20 minutes to test Wrexham’s strong home record.
However, a deep Ryan Barnett cross was headed him emphatically by James McClean to level the scores at halftime.
Steven Fletcher was introduced to decisive effect on the hour mark, but a Dan Nlundulu penalty earned Cambridge a draw against Wrexham.
Here are five things we learned from Wrexham’s 2-2 draw with Cambridge United in League One.
Cambridge’s style stifles Wrexham
On paper, Wrexham facing a relegation candidate should’ve been a routine win for the Red Dragons. However, Cambridge’s direct, pressing style caused Wrexham problems.
Cambridge had five shots on target and nine corners, contributing to an xG of 1.67 which was significantly higher than Wrexham’s, an unusual stat given the Red Dragons’ prowess at home.
Ryan Barnett’s crossing can always be trusted
Cambridge pressed Wrexham well at the start of the game which seemed to take the hosts by surprise, eventually leading to Cambridge taking the lead.
When the Red Dragons were struggling for momentum, Barnett produced a brilliant cross for the equaliser. Barnett signed a new Wrexham contract in November, with his crossing ability a large part of why Parkinson trusts him so much.
Eoghan O’Connell strong in unusually shaky Wrexham defence
Wrexham have the best defence in League One, statistically, conceding just 0.6 goals per game on average this season.
However, Dan Nlundulu and the Cambridge attack’s press caused chaos in the Wrexham defence, meaning the experience of Eoghan O’Connell was crucial.
He won all of his tackles, whilst also producing five recoveries and six clearances as Wrexham wrestled control back of the clash.
Steven Fletcher delivers off the bench for Phil Parkinson
With the game still level, Parkinson introduced Fletcher for Palmer in the 63rd minute, who had struggled to find himself in goalscoring positions.
Just two minutes later, Fletcher delayed his run on the edge of the box, giving Rathbone a simple cutback to find the Scotsman for a classy finish.
None of Wrexham’s strikers are in fine goalscoring form, so impacts of the sort that Fletcher produced against Cambridge are even more crucial.
Parkinson shouldn’t worry about the Wrexham performance
Despite the disappointing performance, Wrexham were well-placed to win the match if not for Brunt’s clumsy tackle.
After the opening portions of the first half, Wrexham’s defence had reasonable control of the Cambridge attack and looked set to seal victory after Fletcher’s strike.
The post-match debrief may be a frustrating one, but Wrexham are still firmly in the picture for League One promotion.